Waking at 1 am and didn't feeling tired, finished uploading yesterday's photos at 2.30 am so for the first time am right up to date. But being off to the Simien Mountains today and there will be no wi-fi for 2 nights, it will be another catch up session on getting back to Gondar.

Time to hit the road with another lazy and late 9 am departure.

Leaving Gondar, saw 4 donkeys carrying their load of wood coming towards us on the road but with no humans in sight. Wish that I had taken a picture of that.

The 100 km road journey was finished about a year ago and wow ... it was a quick 2 hour trip to get to Debark. Before the road was rebuilt, it would have taken another 2 hours to get here. So different to the roads down south (except the newly built roads of course).

Even leaving late at 9 am, the sun was still low enough for these colourful photos of the passing townships as we sped towards Debark. The scenery changed from what I was used to. Vegetation and less terracing. Maize and barley are the only 2 crops that can be grown in the highlands.

Houses with corrugated iron roof of a standard rectangular design.

Wheat, chick pea and barley were being grown hence the greenest of the landscape.

With the sun coming on from the right and sitting on the left I make no apologies for the number of photos taken.

Lunch at Simien Park Hotel with my choice of shiro / chick pea and injera and this time with meat and a 300 ml glass Coke. It came to 83 birr / NZ$5.60 / US$4.10 but I gave them 100 birr / NZ$6.70 / US$4.90 as there was no service charge. Bad choice including the meat! Perhaps I should have just stayed with the shiro chick pea? Having ordered, told that it would take at least 30 minutes to prepare so our just under 2 hour break here was a long wait that we had to endure.